1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fire arms, and more particularly, to a gun safe permanently mounted to a fixed surface.
2. Description of Related Art
Many people in the United States own firearms for various reasons. Some people own firearms for protection, while others own firearms for hunting or other competitive activities. Special problems are encountered for those persons that carry or transport these firearms. If a person transports a firearm within a vehicle, in most localities, the firearm must be locked in a contained area, such as a trunk of a vehicle.
Additionally, the transportation of firearms while traveling on a motorcycle is particularly difficult due to the lack of secure space on the motorcycle. On a motorcycle, it is quite common for the rider to hide the firearm in a satchel or bag attached to the motorcycle. However, since the satchel or bag is easily breached by anyone, the rider typically removes the firearm from the hiding area and carries it with him. The task of carrying the weapon when leaving the motorcycle unattended is tedious and, at times, illegal (such as when carrying the firearm onto certain premises where carrying firearms are forbidden).
The carriage of firearms by commercial pilots has now been authorized. However, the firearm must be secured in a locked box within the cockpit. This locked box is portable, enabling the pilot to carry the firearm through the airport. Since the locked box is not secured to the cockpit, the pilot must remove the firearm from the aircraft when leaving the aircraft. Thus, existing devised lock boxes suffer from the disadvantage of not allowing the pilot to leave the firearm in the cockpit.
There are several different ways currently used to secure firearms. First, there are lock boxes where one may store the firearm with a lock, which may be opened by a key or a combination. The use of these lock boxes are especially useful at a person's home, but unsuitable for use on a motorcycle. Since the lock box, by its nature, is easily transportable, it also can be stolen quite easily.
Another way of securing a firearm is to lock the firearm in a storage area having a lock, such as a gun cabinet. But the use of gun cabinets are not possible on a motorcycle. There are also locks which are affixed directly to the gun which prevents the gun from being fired. However, these locks do not prevent the firearm from being stolen, but rather, merely prevents the discharge of the firearm.
A device is needed which properly secures a gun in a fixed location. The device must be securely fastened to a surface, such as a surface of a motorcycle. Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have an apparatus which safely and efficiently stores the firearm on a motorcycle or in a cockpit of any aircraft. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a device.